Water Course

Amazing what you can research. Which cruise ships are in harbor at a particular place on a particular date, for instance (Cruise Tracker). On the other hand, finding the particulars on a ferry turn out to be rather ugly; the only search results that come up are to sell you a ticket and as I discovered myself going to Crete, the terminal, name of the vessel, size and class, route, or any detail about the accommodations is not there either. You get a lot more detail if you reserve a hotel.

Problem was, I couldn't write the Venice chapter until I knew what time she got on the ferry. And I couldn't nail that down until I figured out what time she needed to get off the ferry.

And I really don't know small boats well enough. Had to try to figure out what the smugglers have, what its range is, what their likely top speed is without wrecking engine, hull, and going through the fuel like nobody's business.

Finally was able to put together a range of numbers that all seemed to work together. Does require several hours fudging in various directions but it isn't completely implausible. The only ferry I was able to confirm (this year) leaves at the unholy time of 0430, but between the travel sites claiming "midnight" and the option within the text of saying "left after midnight" I can pretty much settle down to a 10 PM boarding time Which pretty much kills a scene I had planned. Oh well.

Now I'm moving on to changing geography. The current most-sensible sequence is to go to St. Mark's first, hang out with a street singer, run into a pick-pocket. Of course the perfect spot I found on the map for that incident is northeast of the train station; pretty much the way she'd be traveling to go to the piazza. And it makes most sense if it is after lunch because that gives a chance for another character to find her among the 600,000 other tourists. But I also found a couple of very cute places that are north of the piazza (there's only one in Venice; technically the others are campo).

And so it goes. Especially because I just added to the chase and it would help to have at least a campo to end it in.